Without the Mask

Cissie picked up the phone in a groggy haze.

“Hey.”

She yawned and sat up, pulling on her night gown. “Kon?”

“Yeah. Uh. Have you heard from Cassie?”

Cissie yawned again and blearily realized her new roommate was glaring at her. “No. Not lately, why?”

There was a long silence on the phone. “Donna died. Cass broke up Young Justice.”

“What?” Cissie’s voice was too sharp. The pang that shot through her wasn’t immediately about Cassie it was about the YJ. She pulled her legs to her chest. “Is Cassie okay?”

“I don’t know. She…” Another pause. “I gotta go, Ciss. If you see her will you…” Another pause.

“Sure, Kon.”

“Thanks.”

Cissie frowned and put the phone back on its jack.

*

“Greta, I’m sure they’re fine.” Cissie knew she had said that sentence at least seven times, but Greta had probably heard her maybe once.

“But it’s Deathstroke!” Greta turned up the volume on the TV and Cissie sighed.

“We—They’ve been up against worst. Besides this was an earlier taping, if anything serious had happened it would have said.” There was the most infinitesimal pause before she said, “And they would have called. Somebody would have called.”

Greta nodded and frowned, holding the remote. “Cissie?”

Cissie sighed and folded her legs under her. “Yeah, Greta?”

“Um…” Greta put the remote down. “Do you think I’d look smarter with brown hair?”

Cissie blinked and tried not to brush her fingers through her own hair on reflex. “If that’s what you want. But I like your hair the way it is.”

Greta sighed and flopped back onto the floor. “I just think I’d look more… normal with brown hair.”

Cissie laughed, half of her in it. She was still waiting on that call. “Are you saying blondes can’t be normal?”

“None I’ve met are,” Greta said seriously and looked away shyly, holding a pillow to her chest. “I just—think I’d remind myself of it less if I didn’t look like…”

Cissie bit her lip and sunk to the floor, wrapping a long arm around Greta. “How about we go grab Traya and some hair dye and have a girls’ night?”

*

“Anita…” Cissie sighed, hoisting what she was desperately trying not to think of Agent Fite in her arms. “I’m sure they’d love to have you in the Teen Titans.”

Anita shook her head. “I wouldn’t want to be on their stupid team anyway, mon. I’m the only one without a fancy sponsor dragging me in.”

“It’s not Young Justice anyway,” Cissie said. Which was why they hadn’t asked her either. Not that she cared, since she had quit the game. This was totally Cassie, Kon, Bart and Robin’s thing now. Completely.

“I hear that,” Anita frowned and cradled the baby that was supposed to be her mother in her arms.

Cissie crinkled her nose and glanced up stairs. “I swear if my mom and Ish are making out again, I’m going to barf.”

Anita nodded in agreement and gave her a smile. “I hear that too.”

*

“Wait, wait!” Greta bounced on Cassie’s bed. “Batman and Robin fought?”

Cissie laughed. “Forget that part; tell me the part where Wonder Woman threw Kon halfway across the sky again!”

Cassie’s face darkened, but it was only momentarily before she was grinning again. “It was… well it was good. Of course Bart is going by Kid Flash now.”

Cissie chewed her lip. “He’s okay though right?”

“Yeah took out Deathstroke by himself. And read the entire San Francisco Public Library.”

“With no pictures?” Greta’s eyes widened almost comically.

Cassie nodded and smiled. “Yeah. Guess he’s really growing up.”

Cissie smiled and pushed some hair behind her ear. “I guess we all are.”

“Yeah well… so far the weekend thing is doing okay.” Cassie seemed genuinely relieved. “Other than that thing with Rose Wilson disappearing. She seemed nice enough and Bart liked her, I hope she’s okay.” She closed her mouth. “I’ve just talked all about the Titans for an hour haven’t I?”

“It’s fine,” Cissie held her up hand. “Anything to distract me from my History Exam.”

Greta bounced on the bed again. “So did Robin win?”

Cassie and Cissie shared a look and then laughed.

*

“I just don’t know what to do about Conner,” Cassie chewed on her pencil. The fifth pencil that she had stolen from Cissie and was currently putting molar marks into.

“Who?”

Cassie blinked. “Oh. Um. Kon, it’s his secret identity.”

Cissie couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up. “The kid has a secret identity?”

Cassie frowned. “Yeah. Sometimes it’s nice.” She put the pencil down. “Sometimes I almost miss the wig.”

“Hey,” Cissie pushed her. “I liked the goggles.”

Cassie just crinkled her nose and chewed on the pencil again with a sigh.

*

“Hey, Cissie,” Bart said zipping towards her so fast her hair flipped around her shoulders.

Cissie smiled. “Bart.”

He bounced on big feet and zipped to one side of her. “Man, oh man so let me tell you Kon and Tim are at it right now, they decided that it would be funny to replace all of Starfire’s clothes with like those big dresses grandmothers wear.”

“Tim thought that would be funny?” Cissie put her book down in her lap.

“Well. No.” Bart paused and zipped to her other side, grinning. “But Kon is going to say Tim did.”

“Ah.”

“So!” Bart zipped behind her and Cissie leaned her head back to see him grinning above her. “Tim said it wouldn’t really make a difference since Starfire would probably just walk around naked anyway.”

“Uh oh.”

“Yeah!” Bart zipped in front of her and Cissie just tilted her head to see him. “So Kon thought that was even better and now is just getting rid of all the clothes in the Tower.”

Cissie smiled. “All of them?”

“Yeah, he’s gonna find a good place to hide all of them while I keep up a perimeter and watch for when the girls get back.”

Cissie just stared at him. “Uh huh. Bart?”

“Yeah?” Bart said with a grin.

“Shouldn’t you be doing that then?”

Bart straightened up with a jolt and zipped off again.

He came back after a second. “Bye, Cissie!” He gave her a grin and zipped off again.

Cissie straightened up her papers and laughed. “Bye, Bart.”

*

“Hey, handsome,” Cissie curled her fingers around the phone. “How’s the civilian life treating you?”

“A girl’s wearing my tights.” Robin – well Tim said over the phone.

Cissie laughed. “See I like that idea. I could completely go for a Mr. Arrowette.” She paused. “Mr. Arrow? Hrm.”

Tim gave the smallest laugh over the phone. “Green Arrow, Arsenal, Connor Hawke…”

Cissie laughed again. “Okay, okay. I get your point. It’s a big boys club.”

“Hm.”

Cissie let the silence drag out like some unknown third person that just kept on butting into the conversation.

Tim broke in. “Cissie… do you ever, I mean do you ever regret—”

Cissie closed her eyes. Tim needed a certain kind of answer.

“Never,” she lied.

“Hm,” was all Tim said.

*

Cassie was flipping out.

It was kind of cute.

Cissie just leaned back on her hands on the bed and turned her head, watching it happen.

Cassie made flailing gestures and tore through her closet. “I have a date with Superboy and I have NO idea what to wear.” She breathed; a short two steps away from hyperventilating. “A real date. With like a restaurant and people and…” Cassie let out a breath that sounded like fourteen breaths strung together and Cissie tried not to smile.

“You’ll be fine,” she said in a reassuring tone, because Cassie wasn’t listening to her anyway, but if the tone was calming maybe the younger girl would chill.

“I mean because I have to wear like a skirt right?” Cassie flipped her hands up in the air. “I don’t own a skirt!”

Cissie laughed and Cassie gave her a dirty look.

“I have skirts.”

“You do!” Cassie agreed pointing at her. “Ohhh, but what shirt? What am I going to do?”

Cissie pushed herself off Cassie’s bed and slung and arm around her friend. “We’re going to go to my room, grab some fabulous outfits and you’ll knock the kid senseless.”

Cassie smiled up at her. “Really?”

“Really.”

*

“Oh. Hm.” Greta was really getting on Cissie’s nerves.

Cissie sighed. “What?”

“Nothing, just… uh I got an email from Im—Bart.” Greta licked her lips. For the past month she had completely shut out anything dealing with Super Heroes and wouldn’t tell Cissie why, but it had left an easy rift that had made it completely clear they had nothing in common.

And Cissie never really knew Greta like she knew Secret, and that said something. “And?” Cissie tried not to think about how Bart’s short visits had stopped lately too and focus on her Trig homework.

“They have a new member. Her name’s Speedy.”

“What Speedy like—” Cissie swallowed and stared at her paper, erasing out a mismark a little harder than she needed to. “Good for them. You always need an Archer.”

Greta looked at her with something akin to pity and Cissie just tried to focus on her Trigonometry.

*

“My dad is Zeus!” Cassie threw her hands up in the air. “How would you like to wake up and find out all of your talent came from your dad and you had no idea?”

Cissie stepped forward. “Look, let’s just take a breather and walk back, I mean we can…”

“No. I have to get to the Tower.” Cassie paused and looked at her. “Do you… I mean can you come with me? You don’t have to go in, just I want to stop off quickly and we could—”

Cissie smiled and held out her hand. “Sure, Cassie.”

*

Cissie saw the fighting erupting from her perch where she’d been watching the Tower for a few hours. She couldn’t really see anything, but it didn’t matter anyway. It’s not like she could swim across the bay and go help.

She didn’t have her arrows with her. And no costume.

Plus they already had an archer. With trick arrows.

Cissie bit down the bitterness of only a few hours when Cassie had practically lifted her away from the fight.

She sighed and sunk to the grass again, ignoring the growling of the tied up Supervillians Cassie had forgotten to call in. They were pretty stuck and Cissie had called an hour ago to the S.F.P.D. someone should have been coming.

And if they broke out, well she could handle herself.

Cissie clenched her hand into a fist and watched each muscle and tendon stretch.

She didn’t have a costume. She burnt both the Arrowette costumes with her mother so she wouldn’t have to be worried again. Although she’d kept the skirt of the first one. It was cute.

Cissie didn’t want to be Arrowette anymore, but she knew after that feeling of being the helpless civilian she didn’t like that either.

Cissie watched the battle raging at the Tower and stood up, brushing the grass off her pants.

She couldn’t watch anymore.

*

“Hey, Wonder Girl how’s it going?” Somewhere behind Cissie someone was either mocking or cheering Cassie.

Judging by Cassie’s face it was the former. The blonde folded her arms and sunk against the tree trunk. “Where’s Greta?” she asked softly.

Cissie pulled back her arm and let the arrow fly free right into the target. So far that was six hundred and eighty in a row. “She left. Two weeks ago.”

Cassie sighed and chewed on her lip. “Really?”

Cissie took out another arrow, letting her fingers grace the shaft and feeling the wood in her hands before letting it fly through the air. “I think she really wanted to separate herself from that time in her non-life. Greta’s too scared that stuff Darkside said will come true and she’ll start to regret it.” Cissie examined her target and tried to pick a harder one. “Being normal, I mean.”

Cassie was still staring at the ground. “Hm.”

“So she got a boob job and moved to Vegas,” Cissie said letting another arrow loose and hitting the target again. Six hundred and eighty-two.

“Oh…”

Cissie let an arrow land one centimeter above Cassie’s ear and the younger girl shrieked and stood up. “Cissie! What was that for?”

“Six hundred and eight-three.” Cissie said and turned back to her targets.

*

“Cassie, what is your damage?” Cissie crossed her arms under her chest. “You totally flipped out. They’re going to expel you if you don’t come back.”

”Expel me then!” Cassie snapped.

Cissie pinched her nose. “You have to calm down.”

“He can’t talk about Wonder Woman like that, everyone is—” Cassie choked back a sob. “I don’t know what to do, Cissie. She’s—Diana can’t have done that!”

“Why not?” Cissie stepped forward. “It’s totally possible for someone in place of power to slip up like that. Why do you think I quit?”

The look Cassie gave her was too much and Cissie glared. “Why do you think I’m so mad at you for overreacting, Cassie?”

“That guy was a jerk!”

“Lots of guys are jerks!” Cissie threw her hands up in the air. “That doesn’t mean you should fly off the handle. You have a responsibility to rein it in.”

“I’m not going to do anything like that, I’m not you!” Cassie slapped her hand over her mouth the second it was out, but Cissie just took a deep breath against the gnawing feeling in her gut.

“No, you’re not.” Cissie said carefully. “You could kill someone a lot easier than I could.”

“Cissie—”

“No, you know what?” Cissie turned towards her. “Go off with the Titans. Be this new Wonder Girl that can’t handle the fact that she’s—” Cissie bit her lip. “Just go.”

Cassie’s lip quivered a little, but she put up her chin and flew off.

*

Cassie crossed her arms over her chest and stared at the wall. “I’m sorry.”

Cissie sighed. “Stop being a guy and give me a hug.”

“I’m not being—” Cassie started to protest, but hugged Cissie anyway. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Cissie hugged her back tightly, knowing her arms weren’t going to hurt Wonder Girl. “We can always see each other on Weeken—” She sighed. “Whenever. We can see each other whenever. Friends make time.”

Except for Bart, Anita, Greta, Tim, and Conner. Cissie frowned and hugged Cassie even tighter.

*

“Mom!” Cissie tried to grab the clothes Bonnie King was throwing in her suitcase. “I’m not leaving school!”

“You’re not staying here. The world is about to end, you’re coming home.”

Cissie pinched her nose. “The world’s always about to end, Mom.”

“This time’s different.” She continued to haphazardly pile in Cissie’s clothes.

“How do you know?” Cissie said rolling her eyes.

“I just do. Trust your mother.”

Cissie frowned and slapped her mother hand away. “At least let me do that, geez. You’re wrinkling everything!”

*

“It’s just creepy. He says he wants to be my brother. It’s all he’s ever wanted.” Cassie had a bad habit of chewing on her thumb when she was nervous. She practically gnawed through it, so Cissie has to grab her hand away from her.

“Um.”

Cassie frowned. “What’s that look for?”

“You’ve… I mean, there’s a lot of—” Cissie took a deep breath. There was no possible way to say this without it coming out awkwardly. “Cass. Um. It doesn’t sound like he wants to be your brother. You know what I mean?”

Cassie furrowed her blonde eyebrows. “No…”

“Like, you know how Zeu—” Cissie swallowed, because that was so not the subject of choice. She smiled. “In Greek Mythology and stuff, there wasn’t such strict boundaries between brothers and sisters… in… that way.”

Cassie’s eyes widened. “Ew!”

Cissie sighed. “Just… if he asks you to tie him up or something. Just say no.”

“Cissie!” Cassie practically shrieked, but it’s on half a gag and half a laugh and for a moment her mind isn’t on the impending doom.

*

“Cissie,” Bonnie King threw the door open, a pretzel stick hanging from her lips. “Those rats at Wendy finally got back to us about more episodes.”

Cissie jumped off her bed. “Really? They want me to do another episode?”

“Babe, they want you for a whole season of cameos,” Her mother grinned and put the cell phone back to her ear. “Yeah, listen I want more than she got last time. I saw the ratings for her episode.”

Cissie squealed and jumped on the bed a little, her hand automatically reaching for the phone to call Cassie. It dropped and she shook her head, because she had to call someone else first.

Cissie bit her lip as it hit her.

She promised Kon that she’d take him if they ever called her back.

She covered her face and cried.

“Hey, save that for the salary negotiation!” Bonnie snapped.

Cissie threw a pillow at her.

*

“When were you planning on telling me?” Cissie’s hand shook. The paper was only one sheet but it felt like it weighed a ton. “Mom?”

Bonnie frowned. “Would it have mattered?”

“Yes!” Cissie screamed throwing the paper in the air and angrier still that it only floated carefully down, not ricocheting across the room. “It makes a huge freaking difference when I know my father is the Green Arrow!”

Bonnie took a drag of her cigarette calmly. “I tried telling him once.”

“He doesn’t know?”

She raised her eyebrow. “You needed to come up under your own steam, sweetie—”

“No!” Cissie threw her finger out. “You don’t get to defend yourself. I spent my entire life living in the shadow that you thrust me in without ever knowing this.” She slapped her hands against her chest and breathed out. “Oh my god. My name is Cissie Queen.” She glared. “What kind of horrible monster are you?”

Bonnie rubbed her temple. “Cissie, you’re better than him. You have a natural talent. You won the Summer Games for crying out loud. None of that was going to happen if you were—”

“What? The next Speedy?” Cissie threw her hands up in the air. “Because last I heard, that Arrow Girl didn’t try to kill anyone.”

“Cissie…” Bonnie stepped forward.

“Stay away from me!” Cissie shrieked. “All you ever do is lie!” She grabbed her quiver and bow and went for the door. “I’m so tired of it. I hope I never see you again.”

*

“Mom?” Cissie stood in the doorway, feeling incredibly small.

Her mother smiled at her and chewed on a straw. “Hey, kid. Coming in?”

Cissie took a few tentative steps before sitting down on the edge of the bed and staring at her lap. She bit her lip and did not cry. “What did the doctor say?”

“Lung Cancer.”

“Damn it.”

Bonnie King laughed. “Aren’t I just an after school special?”

“Mom…” Cissie sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Bonnie grabbed one of Cissie’s hands. “I’m going to do the treatment. My prognosis is a crap shot either way. Now shut up and tell me about your new apartment.”

*

“Hi, it’s Cassie Sandsmark! Leave a message at the beep! Or buzz! Whatever the stupid phone company decided to pick! Oh Hera, how do you stop this thing so that it ends the mes—BEEP.”

Cissie sighed and pinched her nose. “Cassie. I need to talk to you, can you call me back.”

A couple of directory calls and Cissie could hear the phone ringing again. “Gar’s house of Ribs, we put them in a great package and all you have to do is unwrap. This is Gar speaking.”

Cissie blinked. “Um. Is this Titan Tower?”

“Yes!” There was a laugh. “Is there some kind of emergency?”

“No, but—”

“Bette!” Gar snapped loudly onto the line and Cissie had to jerk the phone away. “Keep those kids together, they’re going to—erm… burn… something down.” Gar sighed. “Sorry, look if it’s not an emergency would you mind calling back?”

“Yeah, but I just—” The line went dead and Cissie sighed, “wanted to talk to Wonder Girl…”

She threw her phone at a tree with alarming accuracy.

Then it rang.

Cissie laughed before she cried.

*

“I’m sorry I’ve been gone,” Cassie stared at her hands. “It’s just been…”

Cissie sighed and sat next to her, letting the grass tickle her bare legs. “I get it, with Kon—”

“Conner.”

“Conner,” Cissie resisted rolling her eyes. “I get that with Superboy gone. It was hard for you, but… I kind of needed a friend, Cass.”

Cassie looked away, her hair, much longer than the last time Cissie saw her, curls around her shoulders. “That’s the thing.” She bit her lip and looked up at Cissie, looking for once so incredibly young. “If I can get Conner back, I can be there for you. For everyone.” She curled and uncurled her fingers. “Without him, I don’t feel like myself. I just—”

Cissie closed her eyes. “Kon—ner isn’t coming back, Cassie.” Just like her mother wasn’t going to come back if this last treatment didn’t work. Cissie bit her lip. “I know it’s hard, but I’m here for you.”

“You don’t understand,” Cassie smiled at her. “We can get him back. We can get Superboy back.” Cassie pulled out a large book that looked like some kind of glyphs and dropped it on Cissie’s lap.

Cissie glanced at the cover. “Kryptonian Religion.” She blinked. “Superman’s going to try to really go the J.C. route?”

“Not exactly, but he is helping in a way,” Cassie flipped open the book.

On the first page was an S-Shield. Upside down. Cissie swore. “Cassie, no. You’re not in that resurrection cult I heard about on the radio, are you?”

Cassie frowned at her. “It’s not a cult, Cissie. This is the symbol for resurrection. That’s Kon-El’s symbol. That’s—” Cassie took the book from her and held to her chest. “I have to get him back, Cissie.”

“You’re. In. A. Cult.” There was a vein on Cissie’s head. It was throbbing.

“It’s not a cult,” Cassie said calmly. “Look I get that you’ve been out of the game for a while and maybe there are things you don’t understand, but—”

“Cassie!” Cissie snapped and lifted herself up to her feet. “My mom is in the hospital. I just found out that my dad isn’t really my dad and my best friend thinks she can bring her dead boyfriend back with voodoo and Superman’s chest, if anyone is out out of it it’s you!”

“I thought you’d understand,” Cassie frowned. “You knew Conner. He was—”

“I know what Kon was, Cassie.” Cissie shook her head. “And I miss him too. The whole freaking world misses Superboy, but you have to grieve. You can’t join some ridiculous cult trying to bring him back just so you don’t have to face the fact that he’s—”

Cissie hadn’t realized how quick her reflexes still were until she had to dodge a carefully placed wonder fist coming at her face. “You don’t understand,” Cassie said calmly, her hands now by her side.

Cissie kept her balance on one hand. “Nice moves, Ciss.” She said out loud in an imitation of Cassie’s voice and then responded with her own a little lower than normal. “Well thanks, Cass. Good of you to test them out. I mean I’m no Nightwing, but can he do this in a skirt?”

“Cissie… please,” Cassie picked up the book that had fallen carefully. “I need you to believe me. I need you.”

Cissie brought herself up to her feet and straightened out her clothes and hair. “Yeah. Well I’m sorry, Cassie. But you know what I needed you too. And my mom, she’s still alive, for now. So I’m going to go deal with that instead of trying to bring back someone who should just rest in peace, because damn if he doesn’t deserve it.” She shook her head. “Maybe you should start caring about people with real problems instead of living in that little Wonder Girl fantasy world.”

“Cissie—”

“Not this time, Cass.” Cissie said walking past her. “I outgrew you.”

*

“You’re… um…” Cissie shifted on her feet.

“Taller? More handsome than ever? Debonair?” Bart, or at least he was calling himself Bart grinned at her.

“I was going to say older.” She paused and gave him a critical eye. “You know what debonair means? Okay that’s it. You’re not Bart.”

Bart smiled, but didn’t grin. It gave Cissie the creeps. “Just wanted to say hi, since I saw you as I was—”

“Running through?” Cissie offered, resting her hand on her hip.

“Yeah something like that.”

Cissie gave him a small smile. “You used to stop by a lot.”

Bart gave her the saddest, non-Bart look she’d ever seen. “I used to do a lot of things, Ciss.”

Cissie had been really good at being mature and by herself these past few months, but in an instant she flung her arms around Bart’s neck. “Well stop it!” She clung to him. “You’re freaking me out.”

He laughed and they both vibrated a little as Bart hugged her tight. “Growing up sucks, huh?”

“Oh yeah,” Cissie laughed bitterly and hugged him tighter. “You uh… visit all the old YJers?” Real smooth, Ciss.

“Saw Tim once, he’s—” Bart breathed in her hair. “It’s too hard, Cissie. I don’t think I’ll see you again.”

Cissie banged on his shoulder, but he zipped out of her grip before she could get any real damage. “See you then. Flash.”

Bart gave her another sad smile. “You too, Arrowette.”

Cissie knew mature women who lived on their own did not sob shamelessly as one of their best friends ran away at superspeed.

She did anyway.

*

“You don’t want to be Arrowette anymore?” Bonnie coughed and looked more annoyed with the treatments than anything else.

“That hasn’t changed,” Cissie said, holding her hand.

“Then be Cissie,” Bonnie smiled. “She’s pretty terrific.”

Cissie smiled at her and kissed her on the forehead. “Don’t die on me. You promised.”

“I’m working on it.”

*

Cissie shielded her eyes from the bright sun and just enjoyed the balmy breeze tickling her skin. “Are you sure that’s all of them?”

“Yeah. All Ollie could ever do, even a few Connor can’t do. Though he could probably kick ‘em,” Speedy said with a snort. She tilted her head. “Um. Why did you want to do this again?”

Cissie adjusted her bow in her hands. “I got a few reviews for the Summer Games, said I was almost as good as Green Arrow. Wanted to prove it wrong.”

Speedy’s expression was a little unclear through the bright red mask. “What?”

Cissie held the bow steady and narrowed her eyes at the target. “I’m better.”

*

“So you’re… uh meditating?” Cissie tried desperately not to think about how she once thought he was cute, because so much ew.

Connor wasn’t wearing a shirt, but still had his mask on. Like that helped. He nodded. “It helps me find my center.”

“Fun.”

Connor opened both his eyes and Cissie tried not to spot the things that were the same. “If you’d like to try it?”

Cissie shrugged and tried to cross her legs without flashing him. “So I just breathe in and out.”

Connor smiled. It was warm and felt familiar for no logical reason. “When you shoot, you find your focus. Your center. It’s like that, but without the aid of a bow.”

It took Cissie a few tries, a couple of goofs on meditation candles and an almost fire, but she came around. Meditation wasn’t so bad. When she found her center she finally figured it out.

And everything else that she had been dragging with her the past few years fell away.

*

Cissie carefully scrolled through the paperwork for the fifth millionth time.

“Are you finding it acceptable?” The woman across from her lifted her eyebrow a fraction.

Cissie laughed nervously. “Yeah…” She gave a small smile. “You’re sure there’s no black leather involved?”

The woman laughed. “I’m sure. Although some find black suitable attire.”

Cissie took a deep breath and signed the last paper. “I’m sure I’ll grow into it.”

“Cissie King-Jones,” Sasha Bordeaux put out her hand. “Welcome to Checkmate.”

---